Vigils a sea of pink to honour little girl lost forever
By LLOYD JONES
People attending a candlelight vigil in an outback town to honour and grieve for a five-year-old girl have been asked to wear her favourite colour.
Five-year-old Kumanjayi Little Baby, a name used in line with cultural tradition after her death, was reported missing from a home at a town camp on the outskirts of Alice Springs on April 25.
Her disappearance triggered a massive five-day land and air search for her and her alleged abductor until her body was found in scrubland on April 30.
The Little Girl went missing from a town camp in Alice Springs. (Rhett Hammerton/AAP PHOTOS)
Jefferson Lewis, 47, has been charged with her murder and other offences.
Candlelight vigils will be held at Alice Springs’ Anzac sports oval and around Australia on Thursday evening to honour the little girl.
Those attending are asked to wear pink, her favourite colour.
The vigil is being held at the request of the girl’s family who had sought support from the community and asked that their “sorry time” be respected, Alice Springs Mayor Asta Hill said.
“This vigil will provide a time and space for us to all come together to stand with Kumanjayi Little Baby’s family to hold this grief collectively,” she told AAP.
Alice Springs had already shown how it could come together, with many community members joining the five-day search for the girl as local businesses provided food for the searchers.
“We’ll all be wearing pink at the vigil,” the mayor said.
Many locals joined the search around Alice Spring for the little girl. (Rhett Hammerton/AAP PHOTOS)
The vigil comes as police continue to track down and arrest people who took part in rioting and looting triggered by the arrest of Lewis last Thursday, with 30 people already charged.
Northern Territory Child Protection Minister Robyn Cahill on Wednesday announced three child protection officers had also been stood down pending an investigation into how Kumanjayi Little Baby’s welfare case was handled.
It’s been revealed there were six recent reports made by police, women’s shelter staff and a relative about the girl’s living conditions and her potential exposure to harm.
A broader independent investigation into the structure of the department was needed, the minister said, with a probable restructure down the track.
“There are so many children who have had repeated notifications made where zero action is taken for a number of years and those children subsequently have ended up in the criminal justice system,” she said.
“We’re not going to be able to deliver better outcomes for children unless we shift our focus.”
Jefferson Lewis has been charged with the little girl’s murder.
Lewis was arrested at a town camp in Alice after he identified himself to residents, who beat him unconscious.
He was placed under guard at Alice Springs Hospital, where an angry crowd outside demanded he face traditional justice, with some rioters looting local businesses.
Several emergency services personnel were injured and police vehicles and ambulances were badly damaged, including one police car torched.
Lewis was flown to Darwin by the NT Police air wing to protect him and hospital staff.
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